


The 10 Trials

by AthenaTheGreekGodess



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Escape, I’ll add more tags as it progresses, M/M, Memory Loss, Mystery, Revenge, Slow Burn, expect some intense stuff, some cool stuff I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-01-22 18:41:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21306740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaTheGreekGodess/pseuds/AthenaTheGreekGodess
Summary: Everything in Newts life seems normal. Everyday he helps his dad at work, learning how to run the company so he can take over in the future. But one day something changes. A client asking to sell a product to the company. Normal business, but things don’t go as planned and the client leaves with a promise that he’ll change their minds. A promise that seems to go unfulfilled, that is until Newt gets stopped on the street on his way to his house. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in a strange building with strange people and no memory of his previous life.Newt and his new group of friends need to work together to survive what they refer to as the ‘10 trials.’ Will all of them be able to make it out alive with their memories, or will they fail the trials and never live to see the light of day again?It’s time to find out.(Basically it’s kind of like ‘escape room’ but with more twists and a gay love plot)
Relationships: Brenda/Minho (Maze Runner), Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Ey this is one of my first stories. My first one regarding the Maze runner fandom, and I’m pretty excited to write it :) 
> 
> I hope you guys like it, feel free to leave suggestions, questions, and comments down below and thanks for reading :)

Newt was sitting at his father's desk, boredly shuffling papers and files around with a monotone gaze. The day was even more boring than usual, as it was rather slow. The only good thing about the day was that they’d gotten a new client, whom his father was speaking with now. This left Newt to sort papers and check in on previous client loans. 

After a particularly boring 30 minutes, Newt began to hear shouting outside of the office room. Confused and bored out of his mind, he decided he might as well check to see who the hell was making all the noise. 

When he exited the office he realized the shouting wasn’t coming from the main office, rather the enclosed glass room his father and the client had occupied. Now slightly concerned, he cautiously approached the glass doors, trying to see past the blurry and distorted panes. He couldn’t hear much, but he did manage to catch a couple words. “This is not negotiable. We do not have a deal, I’m sorry Mr. Janson.” And then the sound of a frustrated fist slamming on the table was heard, followed by a couple of seething footsteps that led up to the door before it swung open a meer foot away from newts face. 

The client looked at him first, brown and almost black eyes blinking, then narrowing. “Who are you supposed to be?” He asked with a bite, looking him up and down with analytical eyes. Newt didn’t have the time to answer, as his father emerged not a moment later. “This is Newt. My son.” An arm slung around his shoulder, which helped to comfort him slightly in the face of this rather off putting man. 

Speaking of the man, assuredly named Mr. Janson, he was now staring at Newt as if he were an interesting piece of meat. The corners of Jansons lips quirked up slightly at the ends, and a hideous smirk began to unravel across his face. “Ah, I see. Well, I can promise you both that it won’t be long before you change your minds about my invention. For now, I’ll leave you with this. Feel free to consider.” And with that he handed his father a long black case, to which his father hesitated for a few moments before taking. 

“Pleasure.” Newts father huffed, and watched as Janson retreated with a certain saunter to his step. 

Confused out of his wit, he turned in his father's grasp and stared at him expectantly. “Who was that?” To which his father sighed and rubbed his temples. “A client. Obviously a stubborn one. It’s nothing to worry about though, he won’t be getting any business from me anytime soon.” 

Newt had many more questions, but his father seemed determined to keep him from asking. “Newt, did you finish with the papers I asked you to look over?” And Newt sighed, nodding dully. “Yup. Can I leave now?” He mumbled bitterly, and his father sighed, nodding slowly and gently placing his hand on Newts shoulder. “If you must. And please, don’t mention this to anyone. It honestly isn’t a big deal, and we don’t need suspicions. That includes from you too.” His father emphasized, giving a couple pokes to his chest with the end of the mysterious black box. 

Newt was about to ask yet another question, but stopped himself this time. “Alright.” He glanced down, frustrated at being left in the dark. 

“Oh Newt. You know I love you. And I trust you. If it was anything important I promise I’d tell you.” His father gave a comforting squeeze to his shoulder, before smiling and turning to walk back to his office. This left Newt alone in the middle of the building, his lips set in a tight-line smile to return. 

***

The way back home felt shallow. He was considering taking an Uber, but he lived close and he enjoyed the crisp night air. It helped to collect his thoughts. Most of which consisted of his future and career. You know, the usual. Only now it was topped with the suspicions of whatever was in that black box that his father had so sternly turned down. It was driving him insane just wondering. 

He seemed to finally reach his neighborhood, which was dimly lit considering the time of day. One of the many street lamps in the distance flickered, which mildly annoyed Newt because of the unsatisfying randomness. What could he say, he was a bit of an organization freak. 

As he passed below a streetlight, he managed to spot the familiar shine of pink that bounced off one of the pretty roses adorning the front of his fence. The long black metal bars lined the edge of their property, keeping their house safely concealed behind a tall arched gate that could be opened with the key code.

As he walked in front of the gate to open it, the lights on either side of the gate flashed on. It was normal, since they were motion sensitive. What was abnormal was that he realized they were the only light source. He glanced upward where a street lamp had been shining down on the pavement, but it’s bulb was dull, refusing to cast any light now. As a matter of fact, every lamp on the street seemed to be out. 

A sense of dread began to creep up inside him, causing his hands to shake as he looked around through the darkness. Thank god for his gate lights. 

When he didn’t see anybody nearby he spun back toward the gate and rapidly tried to insert the code. 

Six digits. 834093. As he rapidly put them in he pressed a wrong number and the thing flashed red. ‘Damnit. Alright newt, calm down. Your fine. Everything’s fine.’ And so he tried again, this time much slower. 8, 3, 4, 0,-

A clang of metal made him jump and whip his head backward. There standing at the far end of the street was a figure. A single street lamp illuminated the figure, despite it not having been on a moment ago. It didn’t move, heck it didn’t even seem like a real person. It was absolutely pitch black against the yellow light, nothing but a shadow. 

Panic rose quickly and filled Newts veins with fear. He immediately turned back to the keypad, not wasting a moment's time before he started the code again. 8, 3, 4, 0, - He noticed the yellow light that was reflecting from where the street lamp had been suddenly disappeared. - 9, - A clicking sound. Like the cocking of a gun. - 3. 

The code went green and Newt gripped the bars like his life depended on it, tearing them open the instant they allowed it. 

But it was too late. 

A sting of pain reached the back of his neck, followed by a coldness that swept through his whole body. He grasped the thing that had gone into him, pulling it out in a daze and trying to examine it. A long needle looked back at him, topped with a red piece of fuzz at one end. It reminded him of a tranquilizer. 

He didn’t have much more time to think about it before the ground was flying at him. He didn’t feel the impact. His mind and body went dark, leaving him alone. 

The last memory that remained was small white letters that had graced the outside of the dart. 

_ W.C.K.D. _

He should try and remember that. 


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions are made and small things begin to click together

A loud ringing noise filled the silent static that had come over his mind and body. The first glimpses of pain and dizziness reached him earlier than anything else. When his eyes felt light enough to open, they shot awake at once, triggering a sort of confusion and sinking fear. He sat up, the loud rocking and creaking in the background apparently not a figment of his imagination. He was laying down - now sitting up - in some type of metal box. 

Speaking of said metal box, it appeared to be moving. The metal grates that surrounded him had small diamond shaped holes embedded in them, letting him see the wall as it moved past. Down. He was going up. White lights were flying by, and beside the never ending creaking and bellowing from the machine as it went along, there was no other sound. 

He breathed. In and out. In and out. 

One of the first things he did after coming to, was grip the back of his neck, where the lingering pain of the dart remained. The dart. The...how did he?...what happened to him? All he remembers is feeling a sting in the back of his neck, seeing the dart, then… 

W.C.K.D. 

Right. 

For some reason he really felt the need to remember that. Maybe it was because it was just about the only thing he could remember. 

As the situation dawned on him at last, he felt panic quickly grip onto him and take hold, seizing his mind with cold metal claws. He couldn’t remember anything. He couldn’t remember where he was, he couldn’t remember his family, he couldn’t remember anything at all. Not even his bloody name. Just about the only he did seem to remember is how to speak, how to breath, and how to move. 

He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream for help, to fight against whatever strangeness was happening. Even though he couldn’t remember a bloody thing, he knew that whatever was happening right now wasn’t right. It didn’t feel right. 

He tried to get to his feet, which was rather difficult considering the metal box he was in seemed to be pretty small, only allowing him to crouch. There was nothing else inside the box, just him. 

He tried to grasp at anything he could think of, which ended up with him crawling around like a blind bat and haphazardly falling on his ass when the box suddenly jerked. 

A loud ass siren blared in his ears, and the room flashed yellow as lights above glowed. He seemed to have reached the top of wherever the hell this thing had been taking him. With a slow and irritating ‘Clack Clack Clack’ of metal, the bars at the top of the cage opened, giving bare to a cement wall. Another rumble seemed to cue the wall into action- and before he knew it the smooth rock was sliding open, and a blinding white light streamed surprisingly into the small area that had been so darkly shrouded moments ago. 

He closed his eyes shut tight, using his arm to shield them as best he could from the painful glare. 

As soon as his eyes adjusted, he noticed two figures approach the edge of the box. From where he was he couldn’t make out their faces against the harsh white light, but he didn’t have to wonder for long. A strong hand reached out toward him, and with a surprising amount of compliance he grabbed hold and was hoisted upward. As he reached what he hoped was normal ground, he staggered, brown eyes wide and looking up at the two figures with both confusion and caution. 

Two faces looked back at him, both looking equally hesitant but seeming less confused. One of them had dark skin and deep brown eyes, which seemed to hold warmth despite the intimidating exterior. And the other boy was pale skinned, with nice swept black hair and small curious brown eyes. Both of them just stared at him for a moment, and he breathed heavily, taking a couple steps back. 

“Who- who are you? Were you the ones who took me here? Why am I here? What’s going on?” He asked rapidly, knowing his voice was raising with panic the more he spoke. 

The dark toned man approached him slowly with his hands held out in front of him reassuringly. “Hey hey, take it easy man. We know about as much as you do. We got here not long ago- came up in the same box as you. We don’t remember anything either.” He added, his eyes knowing and a bit sad. The Asian boy nodded at whatever he said, glancing down and putting his thumbs in his pockets. 

Despite everything, he felt at least slightly reassured by the mans words. At least they seemed just as confused as he was. “How- how long have you been here?” He murmured, knowing asking their names was futile. If he didn’t remember his own surely they wouldn’t either. They glanced at each other before looking back at him with a shrug. “About 1 hour maybe. At least I have. He’s been here for around 30 minutes. There’s no clock in here so I’m just guessing.” And he nodded, because at least that meant they hadn’t been stuck here for days or something. Without thinking much else he began to look around the room they had found themselves in. 

It was actually pretty small all things considering. Maybe the size of a shared college dorm room. There was some inconspicuous crates at the corners of the room, and the occasional cobweb. Other then that, the room was bare and stone grey, with the only light being from a single white bulb in the center of the ceiling. 

“So...s-so What now? Do we just wait? Are more people going to come? And why are we all here- I just don’t understand and I can’t bloody remember a damn thing and it’s stressing me out-“ He began to incoherently ramble and rub the sides of his temples, but was stopped when the Asian boy approached. He seemed both nervous and a bit pissy. “Alright shank calm down. We literally don’t know any more than you do. All we know is that they’ve been sending up that damn box every 30 minutes or so and when it comes back there’s more people. And we’re pretty sure the people doing this are watching us.” He added a moment later, with an apprehensive glance behind himself. This of course just made him feel all the more paranoid. “Oh bloody shucks, of course they’re watching us. What else is new!” 

He kicked the wall behind him, stressingly breathing in and out at a raged pace. He just needed some time to let this all sink in. He counted the negatives of the situation first. 

1; No memory. 2; Trapped. 3; Being watcher by crazy people who might want to murder them all.  
Yep, sounds about right to him. 

The positives seemed much more pitiful in the face of the overwhelming negatives.  
1; He wasn’t alone. 2; He wasn’t dead yet. 3; More people were coming. 

He ran a hand through his now sweaty locks of hair, trying not to let panic take over him. He needed to keep his head for as long as he could down here. In all the movies they showed people who crazy and panic are usually the first person to either die or get someone else killed. Inside his mind his thoughts were going ‘Oh so you can remember movies but you can’t remember literally anything else. Wonderful.’ Despite the fact that he couldn’t remember any specifics. He could only remember that ‘Yep. That’s a cliche’ and not where he’d seen the cliche before. 

He heard some creaking as the two boys took a seat on the crates to the far side of the wall from him. A small part of him was relieved he wasn’t going through this alone. Okay, maybe a big part of him. 

“So, have you guys tried looking for a way out? I mean- if we’re breathing then that means air is coming from somewhere. Is there like- a vent or something we can crawl through? Anything?” He began to scan the blank walls, but every time he’d look behind a crate there was just more wall. 

“Don’t bother.” He heard one of them say. “It’s useless. We’ve scanned the whole room already. The air seems to be coming from the box. At least, from what we can tell. We think it’s the only way in or out of this place. But they won’t bring it back down with one of us in it. That’s also why we think they have cameras on us.” He turned around, noticing it’s was the older of the two who were speaking. It got annoying not being able to know their names. 

“Um, so,” he’d Drabbled for a second, his hand waving haphazardly. “What do I call you guys? Since y’know, none of us know our names.” He presumed, walking slowly over to the pair, still cautious of getting too close. 

The younger one shrugged, kicking one foot up over the other in a surpassingly casual manner that didn’t fit their current situation whatsoever. “I donno. I guess you can call me number 2. That would leave him as number 1.” He gestured to the dark tones boy. “And would leave you as our greenie number 3.” And it felt sort of awful to have a number stapled to his back, as if they were nothing but sheep. But, he guessed there wasn’t much of a better alternative. 

“Alright. Well, I guess all we can do now is wait for the box to come back up again. And these people better be bloody interesting or I’m gonna throw another fit.” He murmured, which at least earned him a couple chuckles out of the boys. 

***

30 minutes later and it happened again. He shouldn’t be surprised based on what the others were saying, but he was anyways. With a few ‘Clack Clack Clacks’ the rickety old box came to a slow halt. Number 3 held his breath, arms holding each other tightly as the three boys waiting anxiously for the new arrival. 

When the cement walls slid open the three of them nearly jumped back as a large panicked looking blond leaped out of the box and leapt at the first person he saw. This happened to be him of course, and he barely had any time to process a thing before hands were digging into his shirt and angry brown eyes were glaring down at him. “WHERE THE FUCK AM I? I DEMAND AN ANSWER THIS INSTANT OR I SWEAR I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU. I WILL FUCKING-“ he was cut off as something hit his head, and he rolled off of number 3 a moment later with a shout. In less then five seconds number 1 and 2 were holding him down, trying their best not to get hurt in the process. 

“Calm the shuck down! No ones going to kill you- hold still damnit!” The Asian shouted, trying to keep a tight grip on the mans arms. 3 staggered to his feet to stare at the scene, still scared out of his wit and clutching his now wrinkled shirt. The boy they were holding down seemed around him and 2’s age, with short buzz cut blonde hair and a large and rather intimidating-up-close build. He still thrashed, but 1 was trying to speak some sense into him. 

“Please, calm down. None of us here can remember anything either- we have no clue why any of us are here and we’ve just gotten here recently. Please, stop fighting us. We are not going to hurt you.” 1 pleaded, trying to restrain the boys legs best he could. 

Eventually the thrashing died down, and the boy seemed still panicked but now with a hint of exhaustion and hopelessness. “This is fucked. This is so- fucking hell.” And with that he lashed to get rid of 2’s hold on his arms and sat up, the others watching him cautiously. 3 subtly backed toward the wall, getting as far away from him as possible. He was the only one of them so far that 3 assumed had had a violent outburst. 

Number 1 and 2 backed away cautiously as well, 2 going over toward himself and 1 staying crouched near what would become number 4. 

“Welcome to prison, number 4.” 1 smiled, extending a hand toward the boy who seemed utterly disgusted at every word 1 had said, but took the hand nonetheless. “Uh- thanks.” He muttered flatly, his hands at his sides in frustration once he stood. He briefly locked eyes with number 3, and 3 only stared back, waiting for the apology. It never came. 

Wonderful. We’ve added an impulsive violent tank into their midst. One who can’t even apologize for outright attacking someone mind you. Just great. 

As number 1 began to explain things to the guy, him and 2 just leaned against the far wall together, remaining silent. Despite the quietness though, it felt oddly comforting to have someone there, just being a gentle presence.

*** 

Another thirty minutes went by. And another. And another. And again. Until they had 9 people all packed together in the small room, having to sit on crates and lean against the walls to keep any sort of distance. 

After number 4 had come up, next boy was about as confused as 3 had been. He had dark skin and big fearful brown eyes, but he seemed overall chill and easy going once he’d settled down. They call him number 5. After that guy was surprisingly a girl, with long black curly hair and a ‘don’t touch me bitch’ attitude, but like the other guy she seemed to calm down after a while. They called her 6. Then came a smaller boy, with a scrawny figure and light blonde hair. He was wearing what looked like a hoodie, which he preferred to hide in even after the introductions. Number 7. Then came another girl. This one had blonde hair and the same sort of Attitude as the other girl, but considering they were the only females in here they basically stuck together like glue after a while. Number 8. And finally, just recently, they’d gotten their number 9. Yet another girl, with short black hair and a sort of badass attitude. Unlike the other girls though, she gravitated more toward the guys and fit in just as well with them as the others. 

3 was getting anxious, as was everyone else. How many more people would be sent up? At this rate the room was already getting too small for them. Was that going to be it for them? Were they literally going to overcrowd a room and suffocate? Cause that would be a pretty lame way to go. 

Just as he was contemplating this, the familiar siren went off. This time was different though. This time it was accompanied by a voice. A monotone speaker lady voice, but a voice nonetheless. “Number 10 has arrived. Final boarding in progress.” 

‘Final boarding? Was this the final one then? What happens next?’ He hoped food, because at this rate most of the people who’ve stayed here over 2 hours are starting to get really hungry. 1 and 2 are basically ravenous. 

His thoughts were cut off as the cement doors opened, and for some reason he found himself holding his breath. The others gathered around, something they’d been doing for a while now. 

As soon as the boy was revealed 3 found himself strangely curious by him. He seemed to be around most of their ages, with dark hair and a fit build. Not quite as fit as Minho, but close. 

When he looked around at them he refused to move at first, something 3 had gotten used to. He’d seen all sorts of first reactions now, though luckily 4 was the only one who had a violent outburst. 

Speaking of, Without a word 4 jumped down Into the box with the boy, getting right up in his rather confused face. “Rise and shine greenie.” And with that 4 abruptly grabbed him and more so threw him out then led him out. He landed on the ground and staggered upward, rolling onto his back at first and looking at them with wild eyes. Their eyes locked for a moment and then the guy scrambled onto his feet, facing them all with panic. He looked around, seemingly looking for an escape, but found none. 

“Hey hey, calm down there greenie.” 2 approached the boy with outstretched arms, but he only stared back. ‘Greenie’ was the new official term for the new guests. 3 didn’t know why exactly, but he thought it sounded fitting enough. 

“Wh-where-“ he started, but 5 cut him off. “1 will tell you everything. For now you need to settle down boy. You’re shaking like a leaf.” The others chuckled, most of them amused by the boys fear. It had sort of become a running joke between them already, where they would try to gauge the next person's reactions before they even came up. 

The boy seemed shocked as always, but when 1 entered and told the others to disperse, most of them went back to their respective corners and began conversation again. It’s sort of mental how they’d all slipped into their own personal groups so fast. Numbers 6, 7, and 8 were off in one corner, talking like old friends. 1, 2, and himself often talked together, sometimes joined by 4 or 5. 9 seemed to float around groups, sometimes talking with the other girls and sometimes coming to chat with the guys. 4 was stubborn as always and usually stayed at a group for as long as he could before getting bored and leaving on his own. And 5 was usually with number 9 or hanging around him 1 and 2. 

As 1 led the newcomer toward their respective corner, 3 followed behind slowly, trying to gauge the emotions going on in who would become 10’s head. 

“Alright greenie, so basically-“ 1 was cut off by something that stunned them all. 

“My name is Thomas.” 

This left the entire room silent. The boy- Thomas- stared back at them with a ‘What?’ Expression. Number 1 looked at him in shock, slowly leaning forward on the crate he had occupied. “Boy- are you. Are you saying that you can remember?” His voice nearly shook, something strange to hear from him. “I- I remember some things. I know my name. I know how I was brought here. I don’t...I don’t know my family. I can’t remember faces- I don’t-“ The boys voice began to tremble, and luckily it seemed he wasn’t totally unlike the others. 1 rested his hand lightly on the boys shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “Hey, calm down son. None of us have our memories either. But you...you seem to have more than us.” He admitted, seeming curious but wary. 

“I- I don’t…I don’t know exactly how I got here- I remember walking. It was dark and I felt a sting- there was a dart. I fell. I remember seeing a white room. There was- there was people in white coats. I can’t remember their faces. I remember them saying my name. And...and then it went dark again. For some reason I kept thinking ‘wicked is good’ in my head and I’m not sure why. It’s like- it’s like I can hear someone saying it. I woke up in the box and- and then saw you guys.” He finished, seeming breathless and shaken. He turned to look at 3 straight in the eyes. “Where are we?” And 3 only wished he had the answers. “I’m not-“ then it hit him. 

“Wait, did you say Wicked?”  
Numbers 1 and 2 looked at 3 oddly, but Thomas only nodded.  
“I...I remember seeing that somewhere…” he scratched his head, trying to remember. “The letters. W.C.K.D. I remember they were- they were on the dart! I got hit with one too- the letters were on the dart- that must be what this place is!” The sudden realization sparked a strange fear in him. 

Numbers 1 and 2 seemed confused. They were looking at 3 silently, though before 1 was able to voice his thoughts number 4 jutted in rather jarringly. “You knew the whole time? You remember something that important and what, it just slipped your mind to tell us?” 4 seemed royally pissed, staring down at 3 with angry eyes. He was reminded of their first encounter and subtly backed up. “4 I swear I didn’t remember until now- his words just triggered something.” He tried to keep his voice calm but it was pretty hard. 

“Right. And you-“ He spun around to face the confused boy, jabbing his finger harshly into his chest. “You give me a bad vibe. Why are you so special? Why can you remember things we can’t? Seems suspicious to me. And don’t give me any bullshit, since you’ve arrived things have turned weird. First that lady voice over the siren, then you somehow are remembering your name. Now you’re getting into 3’s head too.” 3 was about to object but luckily 1 did it for him. 

“4, please. Leave 10- Thomas, alone. He’s just as confused as we are, we don’t need to scare him more.” And with that 4 narrowed his eyes, sending a last flare down at Thomas before roughly pushing him away and storming off again. 

“Uh- thanks?” Thomas said, though is sounded more like a question as he looked over to 1. 1 just shrugged, smiling despite the weirdness. “No problem. 4 can be...well. He can be challenging sometimes. Nearly killed number 3 his first time out of the box.” 1 and 2 chuckled at that, but Thomas seemed more concerned. “Uh- number 3?” He asked, and then 1 blinked in realization. “Right! You haven’t been introduced yet. I’m 1 as you probably know, this is 2,” he gestured to the black haired boy beside him, who gave Thomas a once over with a small smile. “Number 3,” 1 pointed at him, and he gave a small almost awkward wave in response, something the other boy smiled at just a bit. “That’s 4, as you could guess.” He pointed at the blond, who was leaning against the far wall, alone and glaring holes into the backs of their heads. “Five,” he gestured to the dark skinned boy, who was talking with 9, 6, 7, and 8. “6, 7, 8, and 9.” He pointed to the group individually before turning to face Thomas. “And that makes you our number 10. But I guess now we should refer to you as Thomas.” 

Thomas ran his hands through his hair, his breathing seemed to calm down by now. “How...how long have you all been down here?” 1 shrugged, though his face was far more grim then it had been when 3 had asked the same question. “Honestly, not too sure now. A new person was being sent up every 30 minutes or so. I was the first. So, I guess like,” he paused, doing the math quickly in his head. 5 hours. Around that.” He shrugged. “Not too long I guess, but I am getting pretty hungry.” He admitted, though he was a champ at not showing it. 

“Alright...do you think...do you think I’m the last one?” He asked softly, and 1 shrugged. “Maybe. It said final boarding when you came up. Honestly, I’m almost afraid if you are the last one. We don’t know what will happen next.” He muttered, and 2 and 3 shared a dark glance. 

Almost on cue, a voice chimed in. It was loud and echoed across the room from seemingly nowhere. Feminine, he observed. “Now moving occupants to room 2.” And all of them froze, staring at each other in a tense silence. 

Then rumbling started up again, and one of the four walls began to move. It slid apart, both sides coming to bury themselves in whatever machine was pulling them, and it revealed something strange. 

On the other side of the wall lay another room. This one was about 4 times the size of the current one they were in, and seemed circular. There was five doors lining each side of the room, and on the far end was a long hallway, lined with white lights and leading to metal doors. 

The group stayed still for a long while. The letters W.C.K.D. Were painted above every door in red, and the phrase “Wicked is good.” Was written across the floor. 

A while passed before 1 slowly moved forward. He held out his hand to keep the others back. When Thomas started to go after him, 3 grabbed his arm to pull him back, giving him a ‘wait.’ Look. Thomas seemed irritated but stayed out anyways, and 3 didn’t move his arm just Incase. 

Once number 1 reached one of the metal doors, he froze, eyes widening. “There’s...there’s a name here.” He looked back at the group, who blinked in confusion. Number 6 was the one to speak up. “Names? What does that mean?” The group began to grow antsy, and moved closer toward the edge of the room. “It just says here. Number 1, Alby.” 1’s breath began to pick up and he quickly moved to the next door. “Number 2, Minho.” Number two stepped forward, his eyes wide. “What, no way.” And without another word number 2 crossed over and ran toward the door. He seemed to scan the Black Plaque several times before smiling. “Holy shit. Guys, they have our names. Wait- what does number 10’s say?” He demanded, and 3 decided to be helpful and go in to check. He wasn’t that surprised when 10 followed him over. “Thomas.” Was all he said, and the group shared a look. 

Then another voice. 

“Well, seems you all are quite the bright bunch. Glad you’ve finally figured out your names.” A sickly laugh reached the other end of the hidden speakers, and it sent a chill down 3’s spine. “But this isn’t any time to dawdle. There will be food brought to you in 1 hour, so until then feel free to explore, get comfy, relax.” The voice sounded sultry, mockingly sweet. It only made him more nervous. 

“W-who the hell are you? Where the fuck are we?” Number 9 spoke up, her voice shaky but pissed.  
The voice only laughed in response. 

“So many questions. Why don’t you all get some rest. I’m sure all your questions will be answered soon enough, don’t you worry. For now, you can refer to me as Mr.Janson. Try not to worry yourselves sick, I’d hate to lose someone on the first day.” Another dark chuckle. 3 absently stood behind Thomas, sticking close to the boy. For some reason he actually seems to know more then they do, and maybe that means safety. 

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you for today. Feel free to explore like I said, but don’t expect to find any secrets. You’ll see everything in due time.” 

And with that the speakers flickered, before the voice disappeared completely. 

The group was left in the dark once more, with nothing but each other. “Well. At least now we know who has us here.” 1’s voice spoke softly from the corner of the room. “And we know our names. From now on you refer to me as Alby.” He looked around the group, who nodded in return. Curious out of his mind to learn what his name was, he raced toward door 3 and looked down at the plaque. The word ‘Newt.’ Looked back at him and he let out a small whine. “Of bloody course. I guess I can’t have a cool name like Alby or Minho.”

“I think it’s cute.”  
He nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around to find Thomas standing there with a strangely friendly smile. It contrasted against his previous confusion and stress wonderfully. 

Newt scratched the back of his neck, feeling his face grow warm despite himself. “Yah?” Was all he mumbled, and Thomas nodded, his eyes too Innocent to read. “Ah- thanks. Yours is cool too.” He mumbled lamely, apparently not great at conversation. Thomas had a twinkle to his deep chocolate eyes, and Newt found himself getting a bit lost in it. 

“Siggy? Aww- nah, ima go with Frypan.” The loud words snapped them both out of their mini trance, and they both glanced quickly over toward number 5 - apparently Frypan now - and saw him shaking his head. “Anyone got a stick or somethin? I need to fix this.” He watched curiously as 8 tossed him a black hairpin. “That’s all I’ve got- hope it’s enough.” She muttered. “And where the hell did you get Frypan from?” Brenda - so she had  
Shouted earlier - asked, leaning over the plaque with confused eyes. 

Frypan laughed, in the meantime using the end of the pin to try and scratch out the previous letters, which wasn’t doing too good. “Donno honestly. After I saw the name it just came to me. Maybe it’s one of my previous memories.” He said it so casually, but it made Newt wonder. Perhaps seeing certain things could trigger other memories too. But when Newt thought of his name, he honestly couldn’t remember anything special about it. Nothing. 

“Well, I’m going to explore the rooms.” Harriet voiced, a name he heard briefly in conversation with Sonya and the other boy he hadn’t heard of yet. “Count me in!” Minho chimed and without waiting immediately threw open his own door and delved inside. 

Newt watched everyone slowly enter their rooms and he glanced back, seeing Thomas still standing nearby. “I’m going to go wait for the food. Look around. I haven’t gotten a chance to explore the other room yet.” He mumbled, to which Newt snorted. “Trust me, there isn’t much to explore. And it’ll be awhile until the food gets here. I say just chill for a bit. Who knows what we’ll need our strength for.” He’s not usually the one telling others what to do, but Thomas seemed to obey him immediately and he was grateful for that. Maybe he could start taking a more leadership role around here. He was the third person up after all, that had to mean something. 

He watched Thomas nod and smile, turning away to head back to his own door. “See you later then.” And Newt watched until the metal door opened and a Thomas stepped inside. He felt relieved the doors didn’t close automatically. That would just make this entire thing even creepier. 

With only slightly shaky hands he turned the knob of the door, hearing it click before it swung back. He looked at the room, staring for a long moment before he stepped inside. 

_Time for some exploring._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the numbers got confusing, but they only last for this chapter so I hope it’s not too annoying. I’m planning to continue this and I’m pretty excited for it so I hope y’all like it :)


	3. Rat Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys get something to eat, and the boys and gals slowly settle in.

After some time exploring, Newt had made little revelations about the place. His room had been rather plain; Grey walls, a white ceiling light. The bed was surprisingly a double, with soft white sheets and a small white bedside table topped with a smaller silver lamp. There was a single black chair sitting in the corner, alone and empty. Newt had checked every surface for anything abnormal or interesting, but had found nothing. 

When he took a moment to sit and evaluate everything, he realized things just didn’t add up. Why are these people - seemingly their kidnappers - being so hospitable. It just didn’t make sense. If they wanted to hurt them, they would have done it by now, right? 

As Newt was pondering this, he heard a sudden shout from outside. “Hey guys, check this out!” And when Newt stepped outside, he noticed Minho holding up a cardboard box of sorts. “I think it’s like a game, it was on the table in my room.” He said, going to the center of the room and showing the curious others his colorful box. 

Newt joined the congregating crowd, curious to know what kind of ‘game’ this was. Maybe it contained a hint that could help them escape. 

“Well what are you guys waiting for?” The black haired boy interrupted his thoughts, looking around at the crowd with a big grin. “Grab your chairs if you wanna play! And uh- Gally, go and grab one of the crates from the other room!” He instructed, gesturing to the blonde who held his hands up in protest. “Listen, I don’t want anything to do with this place. I’m taking a nap, wake me up when the food gets here.” And with that, Gally entered the room he’d come out of, abruptly slamming the door on his way in. 

A short silence filled the air, but was quickly broken by Minho. “Well, guess he’s out then. His loss.” Minho shrugged, seeming unbothered. He saw Thomas step forward in the corner of his eye, his voice light and friendly. “I’ll go and get the crate.” The brunet offered, before quickly bounding off toward the other room. Newt decided he wouldn’t be playing, so instead of grabbing a chair he went to help Thomas with the crate.

“I hope no one remembers to wake him up” He heard Thomas mumble once he entered, his calculated gaze already scanning the crates to try and decide the best one. Newt only snorted at his words, slightly agreeing. “He’s definitely a piece of work. At this point he’ll kill one of us before Rat man does.” 

Thomas looked over his shoulder curiously at Newt. “Rat man?” And Newt only shrugged. “Seems fitting enough.” And Thomas hummed in agreement. As they started to lift one of the larger smooth boxes, Thomas piped up again. “So, did Gally like, actually try and attack you when he came up? Or was that all just a joke from Alby?” 

Newt was a little surprised at the turn in conversation, blinking a couple times as the brunettes words brought back memories from the previous hours. “Oh, he did. Didn’t really hurt me though, only pushed me down and wrinkled my shirt.” He gave the collar of his shirt a flick, though it had mostly smoothened by now. Nevertheless, Thomas still looked annoyed. “I just hope he won’t cause us trouble. We’ll obviously need to work together in here, and we can’t have any impulsive violence getting in the way.” His tone was hard, taking this situation surprisingly seriously. 

Newt couldn’t help but to study Thomas for a moment, tilting his head a fraction. It was odd, but the boy had a sort of trustworthiness about him that the others didn’t entirely have. “...what do you thinks’ gonna happen to us?” He mumbled softly, nervously playing with the cuff of his sleeve and trying not to let his voice raise as the pair took the crate and began to carry it into another room. Thomas blinked, his chocolate gaze studying Newt for a moment in silence before he spoke. “I’m not sure. But if they were going to kill us, they would have done it already, right?” 

A moment of silence hung in the air, but eventually Newt nodded. “Right.” And that was the end of their conversation as they reached the gathered group. Chairs were pushed into a circle around the center of the room, and 5 of the others were already sat down waiting excitedly. Thomas and Newt set the large crate down, and the weight he’d put on his leg in the process sent a weird shot of pain through it. “What the..” He shrugged, trying not to think much of it for now.

As soon as the crate had been set down, the others quickly began preparing the ‘game’ they had discovered. Newt stood by to watch next to Thomas and Alby, curious as to what this game may be about. 

As soon as the lid was lifted, the bright red words seemed to take up the whole thing. 

‘Murder Mystery’ 

_ Fitting _

The others stilled for a moment, but Minho was the first to break the stillness and carefully pick up the white sheet on top. When he did, it unfolded itself, revealing it was actually an instruction manual. “Oh. These are the rules.” Minho observed curiously, unfolding the packet and giving it a once-over. 

“Alright, so it looks like each of us will have a character. We pick from these cards,” Minho picked up a stack of cards, placing them down on the make-shift table. “And then we all get a marker depending on who our character is.” He then placed around 6 colorful board game pieces on the table next to the cards. “And we all start out in one of the rooms here.” He pointed at the different starting spaces, located at the edges of the board. 

“This game looks complicated.” Sonya complained, leaning forward in her chair so her elbows rested on her knees. 

Brenda snorted, rolling her eyes softly. “Figured we couldn’t just play Candyland or Racko or something.” Everyone in the room blinked, as if just remembering those others existed in the first place. ‘So maybe our memories can be brought back on our own then?’ Newt felt a small spark of hope at the thought. 

Minho went on to explain the rules of the game, and before long the six surrounding the table were locked into an intense mystery. Brenda's character, the red coated scarlet was quickly proven innocent, followed up shortly by Aris’s purple ‘Norman’ character. So far the biggest suspect was Minho's blue ‘Lance’ character and Frypans yellow ‘Garvin’ character. 

The game seemed to be exactly what the title had implied. One of the characters was the secret murderer, and it was up to the others to use the clues available and find out who. 

“Sonya, I call Lady Hamlet to question!” Minho exclaimed, reaching over and moving the blondes green piece to the same room he was in. She groaned in frustration, annoyed at being reset to the other side of the board. “Come on, i was almost in the kitchen!” But Minho paid her no mind, running through his clue cards meticulously. “I say, study room, knife, and Garvin!” He said confidently, but she showed him one of her cards and he deflated for a second, before brightening again a moment later and scribbling down on his small slip of paper. 

Newt watched in amusement as Minho all but exploded from anticipation while the others went. As soon as it was his turn again he slammed his fist down, catching the attention of everyone as he victoriously yelled out, “I have a final guess! It was Mr.Garvin, in the kitchen, with the knife!” And he heard Frypan let out a chuckle. “Alright you got me. What can I say? No one messes with my food.” The others laughed, including Newt, but not Thomas. And when Newt looked over at the brunet, his face was a bit pale, and his eyes cold. 

“Okay, who’s up for another-“ But Minho was cut off by the sound of an alarm. The red lights on the metal box started flashing in the other room, and a strained buzz sounded repeatedly. That strange femanime voice quickly picked up again, monoton as ever. “Calling all room 2 occupants to room 1 for mandatory feeding.” And all at once at least four of them raced off to the other room. 

Newt stayed back, eyeing the box carefully as he walked up behind the others. He watched Minho and Frypan jump down into the box, and they quickly reappeared with a few bags. “Guys, it’s actually food! Help me and Fry unload it!” And it didn’t take long for Brenda and Alby to begin helping unload the box. When they were done, there was actually a decent assortment of food. A bag of apples, a sack of potatoes, some bread, a few cans of peaches and beans, water, and even a basket of muffins, which had a small, white piece of paper on the top that reads ‘For your win! Courtesy of W.C.K.D’ and most of the people in the room curled their noses at the gesture. 

“You sure these aren’t poisoned?” Harriet muttered, her eyes narrowed suspiciously down at the box of baked goods. Frypan hummed and Minho shrugged, picking one up and taking a bite with minimal hesitation. The others gasped at his braveness, but after about a minute of nothing happening, the others deemed them safe enough to eat. 

Newt settled himself down with a piece of bread, an apple, and a muffin. He didn’t waste much time tearing into the food, quite hungry. He may have been awake here for only four hours, but he suspected he’d been knocked out before that for a good while. 

It didn’t take long for Thomas, Minho and Alby to join him in the corner. Thomas had skipped out on the muffins, suspicious of them still despite Minho's show of eating one moments ago. Newt didn’t blame him, he too was feeling pretty on-edge. Newt also noted a strange behavior with Thomas. He was constantly glancing back toward the area where Frypan was chatting with Brenda, and his eyes seemed analytical, but troubled. “Hey shucks, were you two even listening?” Both Newt and Thomas quickly looked over to Minho, who wore an unamused expression. 

“Uh, Sorry.” Thomas mumbled, both boys mildly embarrassed by their own distractedness. “I was saying, maybe we could do some more looking around. That metal door at the end of the hallway has to lead somewhere, maybe we can check it out.” His voice was noticeably quieter, and he kept throwing apprehensive glances behind his back toward the walls, where they knew W.C.K.D., and specifically that Janson guy were watching them. 

Thomas seemed eager at this proposed idea. “Sure. It’s better than sitting around and waiting for these shucks to make a move.” 

Minho grinned happily. “Hey, you’re finally getting it!” And Newt assumed he was referring to the language use, something which Minho had started and the others had absent-mindedly followed. 

When it came to Minho’s idea, Alby seemed much more hesitant. “I’m not sure...I guess checking it out won’t do any harm. But whoever these people are may not like us poking around in their business. I’ll stick to watching the others and looking for cameras.” Newt nodded, staying silent. He’d most definitely be with Thomas and Minho, feeling the same as them when it came to figuring out a way out of here. 

*  
Another hour passed. They had made good on their plan, eyeing up the tall metal door with skepticism. But In the end, they found no way to open it, and there was no way to see the other side. 

“We really are trapped here, aren’t we?” Thomas muttered, his chocolate eyes more bleak then Newt had seen them in...well, ever. The others stayed silent, the answer not needing to be vocalized. 

And then it happened again. The speakers flickered on, and instead of the woman’s voice, they were met with Jansons. “I’m so sorry to disappoint, but sadly, your going to be staying with us for quite a while longer.” His voice was raspy and held mock empathy. Newt screwed up his eyes. ‘They can listen and watch everything we do. Can’t we at least have some shucking privacy?’ He blinked then. ‘Damnit, I’m starting to talk like Minho now.’ He re-focused when Janson began talking again. 

“It’s time for bed. I want all of you in your rooms within five minutes, I don’t care if you double up.” And Newt heard Brenda scoff somewhere off to the side. “Oh what, are you our dad now?” Her voice was indignant, and her eyes were turned fiercely up at the ceiling. Janson only laughed on the other side of the speakers, something disheartening to all of them. “Only if you want me to be.” And Newt was pretty sure half the room nearly lost their lunch at Jansons words, including himself. 

“Yah, no fucking thanks.” Brenda seethed, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Janson chuckled again. 

“Well, no matter. You now have four minutes. I would move quickly, once the times out I’m afraid you won’t be able to re-enter.” Newt didn’t exactly know what Janson meant by that, but he was sure it wasn’t good. Without much hesitation people began to enter their rooms, and he noticed some people doubling up. Sonya and Harriet entered Harriet's room, and Frypan went surprisingly with Brenda. Newt fidgeted nervously outside his own door, not able to conceal the fear of sleeping alone in this place. But Alby had already disappeared into his room, and Minho seemed as chill as ever. Newt didn’t want to bother anyone, so he reluctantly threw open his door and took hesitant steps inside. 

He didn’t make it far though. A loud and rather startling “Newt, Wait!” Made the blonde spin around to face Thomas, who was stood at his door with a red-tinted face. 

“I, Uh.” The brunet began, bringing his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “You Uh, you wanna double?” He asked shyly, and Newt felt relief rush through him. “Sure. My room?” He asked, though it was sort of a given considering they were already there. 

Thomas nodded, seeming equally relieved. “Sorry to bother. I just...the thought of sleeping here alone is...not exactly comforting.” Newt nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean.” He said, trying to mask the nerves he felt. “I feel like something’s gonna happen in the middle of the night or something.” The blonde murdered, floating around the mostly barren room and turning on his table side lamp. 

When he turned around he was _ not _ expecting to see Thomas shirtless. Their eyes locked briefly, and Newt looked away immediately, trying to control the redness creeping up his face. He heard Thomas chuckle softly, and the small click of the door closing echoed around the room. For a second he panicked, but when he looked back Thomas’s expression was shy. “Sorry, I feel more comfortable sleeping without a shirt, if it bugs you though I won’t mind wearing it.”

Newt wanted to punch him for being so nice. He didn’t even know why he was freaking out, he also felt the urge to shuck off his own shirt. He assumed he must have normally done that before the whole memory wipe thing. 

“No no, you’re fine.” He said a bit too quickly, emphasizing how fine it was by ripping off his own shirt at lightning speed. He watched Thomas blink, and didn’t miss the way the boys eyes lingered on his lean figure. The brunet quickly averted his eyes back to Newts, and they sort of just stared for a moment.

Luckily the awkward silence was broken by the hidden speakers, barely muffled from inside the room. “10 seconds until shutdown. Please close your doors at this time and dim your lights.” It was the woman’s voice again, this time sounding just a bit less monotone than before. 

Newt didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly climbed onto the double bed, reaching over and lowering the brightness of the lamp, until he was just barely able to make out the details on Thomas’s face. He watched the brunet climb slowly into the bed, both boys quickly finding themselves laying in silence.

“Hey, Newt?” He had just closed his eyes, but opened them again and looked over at Thomas, blinking. Their faces were close, but the proximity didn’t quite feel awkward. “Yes?” He responded softly, brown eyes tracing the details on Thomas’s face. 

“Do you think we can really trust everyone here?” His voice was hesitant, as if worried the question might offend Newt. He took no offense though, and answered easily. “Thomas, I’ve been noticing you glancing at Frypan all day. Is it because of what happened in the game?” He blinked gently at Thomas, both boys speaking in calm, soft whispers. 

“Yah…” Thomas mumbled back, his eyes looking away from newt as if guilty. “Thomas, I know that it’s hard to trust right now. It is for all of us. But just think about this for a second; You remember how when you came up in the box Gally yelled at you, said he didn’t trust you? Well, I know you probably don’t mean to, but your sort of beginning to treat Frypan the same way. He’s no different than the rest of us. Any one of us could have been the suspect. If I was playing and I had been revealed as the murderer, would you distrust me?” And of course Thomas answered no right away, but Newt knew the true answer was a different story. 

“Thomas…” Newt sighed, and Thomas followed suit. “Okay… _ maybe _ I would have been a _ little _ suspicious. But…” The brunet groaned, rolling onto his stomach and burying his face in his pillow, which earned a chuckle from Newt. 

“Alright. I’m sorry. I’m being a ‘slinthhead’ as Minho would say.” Newt smiled, touching Thomas’s shoulder lightly with his hand. “S’ alright. I get it. But if we’re going to get through this, we need to trust each other. Have each other’s backs. We’ll get out eventually. For now, try and get some sleep, yah?” Newt’s eyes were lidded, blinking slowly at Thomas as his own tiredness began to sink in. 

“Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Newt.” And with that, Thomas’s eyes closed, and the soft smile he wore slowly faded as the brunet drifted to sleep. 

Newt felt the world dim around him, and despite everything, despite the insanity, the fear, the panic...he felt at peace. If only just for the moment. 

And it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya guys!! So sorry this chapter took forever to get out, November has been a pretty crazy month for me! I have not left this fic however, and I think you guys will enjoy the next chapter, which is shaping up to be a long one! :) The first two chapters were mostly just to set things in place until the main plot kicks in, which will start next chapter with ‘The First Trial’ so stay tuned! 
> 
> Bonus: 
> 
> “Hey...Thomas?”   
“Yah Newt?”   
“Did anyone remember to get Gally for food?...”   
“....Shit.”


End file.
